It felt weird leaving Greece, as life became normal there so quickly. During my three week journey in Greece, I spent time in Athens (our home-base), Delphi, Crete, and Spetses. Here at these places is where I traveled with my classmates and professor through museums, archaeology sites, cities, and graffiti walks. As an artist, I gained valuable insights by observing the craftsmanship and skillful use of complex tools in creating intricate works of art up close. The National Archaeology Museum (NAM) in Athens was one of my favorites to study from. It held some of the most pristine statues that showed perfect details of the human body captured in various motions. It was intriguing to compare historical pieces to contemporary art in the National Museum of Contemporary Art’s exhibit “What if Women Ruled the World” in Athens. Athens provided me as an artist the visuals of how you can take history and use it for critique and intersection in your own works of art.
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As I explored these parts of Greece, it was a pleasant surprise to see how helpful the locals were. They really wanted you to enjoy the experience of Greece. Besides the heat, and the climb of narrow roads and stairs, it was very pleasant to walk and navigate the streets of Greece. I felt confident and safe exploring the cities of Greece on my own, as I did with the free time we had. One of my favorite memories was my last day in Athens, Greece. I walked to Plaka, which is a popular shopping area filled with many food and clothing styles. I wandered the stores and took in all the colors of the city before making my way to the Panathenaic Stadium. The structure consists entirely of marble, and as I climbed these cold marble stairs and sat at the top; it was then, when I reflected on my last memories of Greece. I had learned a lot about myself during this study abroad opportunity. It was a wonderful experience to explore an unknown part of the world. I thought about my future goals and how this study abroad has shown me I can take on new challenges.
This coming up school year I enter my final year as an undergraduate student. Before Greece, my mind raced with thoughts of how my final year would go and worried about plans. Since going to Greece, it has given more comfort in my plans for future education and classes. The experience of a studio art class abroad as an art student has given me confidence. I want to explore more dynamic designs and to bring in the styles of art that I saw in Greece to my work. I found the active posing designs of statues and figure drawings enhanced my visions for future passionate projects I want to create. Seeing such well-illustrated and constructed works of art has led me to think about pushing more boundaries in my designs.
When choosing to study abroad, my advice would be to approach things on a daily basis. As someone who had never been abroad or known anyone who had, I felt overwhelmed by my own thoughts. When I arrived in Athens, everything was at ease. Every worry I had was from me overreacting to the unfamiliar. Those concerned know that going abroad is a valuable learning opportunity. From this fear and new challenge, you will get to learn so much about yourself and be prepared for greater things in the future. Enjoy each day and take time for solo exploration.
Seberiana Lopez | Studio Art in Athens
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